A-to-J Connections' Favorite Songs of 2020!

1/5/2021

A-to-J only really has one tradition that's lasted from our first year all the way to now: our yearly "Favorite Song" article. Per usual, several A-to-J members pick their favorite song of the previous year and It's amazing how many A-to-J members have stuck around in the more than half decade that A-to-J Connections has been around. This year saw not only a lot of participation from within A-to-J, but also our always eclectic mix of music genres and styles! Now, it goes without saying that 2020 was a tough year for everyone and we at A-to-J had our share of hardships, both as a group and personally. With that said 2020 is behind us and we move into 2021 with hope that things can (hopefully) only get better from here on out. So, sit back, relax, and check out our favorite songs of 2020, maybe discover some new artists and/or music too! Anyhow, here's to looking back at another great year of music; let's jump into this list!

Manuel: General Manager / Editor-In-Chief

Even though I knew I wanted to pick a song from Malaysian music artist Namewee for this article, since he's been in rare form the entire year, I was torn between this one, "China Reggaeton", and his more recent "Buyao Qu Club (Stop Clubbing!)" which featured DJ Jerry and Luxy Girls. I ultimately chose "China Reggaeton" as it was not only his first track of the year (We tend to pick songs we've heard most recently in these kind of things I feel and forget those we heard at the start) and it's quite awesome in every way, but also because it features Anthony Wong whose appearance reminded me of a movie I saw in my youth that I'd completely forgotten about: "The Untold Story". I actually would realize I'd seen him in tons of movies and shows and didn't realize it until hearing/seeing him in this release. The amount of artists I've discovered/rediscovered through Namewee are too many to name here but trust me that it's quite a lot.

Anyway, my song pick is quite a bit different than the stuff I usually showcase and if you've never heard of Namewee before (I plan to talk about him a lot more in 2021!) then you should check out this track! It's also completely subtitled in English! Also, speaking of Anthony Wong, the entire ending scene is a reference to "The Untold Story" and that's just wild so maybe give that a watch if you stomach a pretty out there movie! Check out all of Namewee's "Asian Polymath" album too if you can, there's also a song featuring ex-SKE48 member Yua Mikami!

Namewee ft. Anthony Wong - China Reggaeton

Ivan: Photographer / Correspondent

After the crazy year that was 2020 I chose the song "NIGHT RUNNING" by "Shin Sakiura feat. AAAMYYY", which is the ending theme of the anime "BNA: Brand New Animal" airing on Netflix. This song has a great vibe which helped me relax and also made me feel happy at the same time, a needed shot in the arm this year.

Bringing his unique style of electropop is the producer Shin Sakiura. Along with singer Aaamyy aka Amy Furuhara from the rock band Tempalay. They both collaborated previously on another song "Konomama Yume de" (このまま夢で, "In My Dream").

Brand New Animal is an anime by Studio Trigger which aired in March and June 2020 on Netflix. The Show is a sci-fi action fantasy which features humanoid animals known as beastmen.

Shin Sakiura feat. AAAMYYY - NIGHT RUNNING

Jasmine: Staff Writer / Correspondent

2020 sucked, but that doesn’t mean all the music releases did. My song of the year was definitely 22/7’s "Muzui", a total ear worm.

Even though 22/7 is still flying below the radar in the mainstream American idol fan scene, their music is full of hidden gems and "Muzui" is no exception. This dark and dreary song is matched with equally dreary lyrics, and almost reminds me of Keyakizaka46. The lyrics, which even go as far as to question why is life worth living, perfectly match the center of the song (Takigawa Miu’s) story throughout the 22/7 series.

The vocal harmony amongst the members and the visuals in the OP are all very well done. While, 22/7 had initially come across as unpolished (during lives and regarding vocals), the live version of Muzui doesn’t disappoint. It’s amazing to see how the 22/7 VAs have improved in only a few years. So if you haven’t checked out 22/7 yet, you definitely should.

22/7 - Mizui

Molly: Chief Advisor/ PR Representative

My choice for this year is "Happy" by Nizui. This song, as the title suggests, makes me really happy. It’s upbeat and fun and really what I needed for 2020!

NiziU - Make you happy

Rose: Staff Writer / Correspondent

My favorite song of the year is Oomori Seiko's "NIGHT ON THE PLANET", a stunning single from her new album "Kintsugi". The lyrics are really beautiful. It was also produced by Mondo Grosso if you're into that. Listen to it.

Oomori Seiko - NIGHT ON THE PLANET -Broken World-

Snakz: Legacy Member

The song I pick for my favorite song of 2020 is "Time Warp" by Perfume. It gets me into an energized mood because of how fun the choreography is. It also doesn't drag on for too long. Short and sweet, like my writing.

Perfume - Time Warp

Teepu: Project Leader / Staff Writer

As the resident Hello! Project nut, I'm naturally going to pick from their selection. The year hasn't been the best for H!P music in my opinion, with a lot of lackluster and repetitive releases. Even then I had a couple I was deciding between, but Juice=Juice's "Suki tte Itte yo'" ended up being the winner. It caters to their style best, with fresh beats, a catchy flow and strong vocals. Juice=Juice never fails to impress year after year, and this year is no different. The other side to their 13th single was strong too, but being an homage it doesn't quite hit as hard as "Suki tte Itte yo". Here's to hoping for an even better 2021 from Hello! Project!

Juice=Juice - Suki tte Itte yo

Tiffany: Chief Translator / Artist Liaison

This year was the first year in a while where I couldn't see any idols or go travel to see them... However it was also a year where I could enjoy idol content from the comfort of my own room! One thing that made me so happy was that our favorite KOTO released music and it was available online! Not only is there an official lyric video of this song but its also available on things like Spotify where I can put it into my playlist! The song itself is her iconic sound but nonetheless super catchy and has a slight melancholic tone which adds great flavor to the classic Kissa/KOTO sound. Can't wait for another year of KOTO music!!

KOTO - Gouhou Girl

Tom: Correspondent

“Someni” by Mother is a fun song with a great mix of dark Visual Kei tones and catchy music. I’m really enjoying Mother (マザー), which was formed in August 2019, but unfortunately is already scheduled to disband at the end of this month (January 30th, 2021). Another fun and short-lived VK band.

Warren: Panelist / Live Stream Host

My song pick is "Hug feat. kojikoji" by Sorane! Everything about this song screams vibe! Sorane's flow and how he rides this chill beat will definitely get the body movin' 'n groovin'!

Sorane - Hug feat. kojikoji

Here we are once again at the end of another "Favorite Songs of The Year" article. We hope you enjoyed our individual favorite songs of 2020, and we also hope that everyone had the best year of music possible in these trying times! We're heading into 2021 with our fingers crossed that it's going to be better all around, but especially in music. After all, it's kind of hard to be any worse in other aspects. Thanks again for letting us show you what we love and here's hoping that we can bring you more great content throughout 2021 and beyond!

-Manuel and the rest of the A-to-J Team!

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